The Phoenix wants to present the Memorial Cup Anthony Marcotte

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“Do we want to present the Memorial Cup in Sherbrooke? The answer is yes, and it is without a doubt. I do not think the current Palais des Sports is perfectly suited to host the tournament. For reading the specifications of an event like this, there would certainly be additions to the building. We want to be an organization of 1 st level, we want to be compared to the best organizations in the league and I think it all goes by asking our bid to present the tournament, “said we VP Phoenix hockey operations part of a long interview

The next step is to know when the team will decide to move ahead with such a large-scale project. At its 2 th season only in the QMJHL, Phoenix does not want to cut corners.

“It’s a big event, there are financial impacts associated with it. There is also a hockey level where you have to properly evaluate our cycle before you go ahead with that. We have not set a timetable yet. The important thing is that the will is there. We will eventually consider what is realistic for our organization. We must learn to walk before we start running and when we feel we are mature, we will take the necessary steps, “reiterates Jocelyn Thibault.
With over a year of operations on the ice, I think the new organization deserves an excellent rating. The team did not hesitate to present some important events that drew attention to the team. Just think of the recent round of the Super Series Subway which was a huge success at the box office. In June, the Phoenix will host the annual meeting of the Courteau circuit and will ensure that the organization will do its utmost to impress the gallery and create a memorable memory for players drafted.

Will the Phoenix focus on stability?
During our interview, Jocelyn Thibault did not hesitate to praise certain organizations of the QMJHL which he calls “first class”. Naming precisely the Olympiques de Gatineau, the Remparts de Québec and the Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand. These are teams that, year after year, entrust the destiny hockey to the same men in place. Benoît Groulx, Patrick Roy (now Philippe Boucher with a long-term contract) and Jean-François Houle have been behind the bench for several years and everything indicates that they will be for a long time. Groulx and Boucher also act as general managers while Houle has the confidence of Joël Bouchard. With the duo Patrick Charbonneau and Judes Vallée, will the Phoenix go in the same direction? Very possible according to Jocelyn Thibault.

“For me, I think stability in hockey and in business is very important. When you have people in place who do a great job, it’s very valuable. I think the people in place right now have done a phenomenal job since the beginning of our dealership. The contracts of Patrick and Judes are not yet due (they will be at the end of the season 2014-2015) but it is certainly subjects that we will consider soon. ”
Soon?

“As for hockey, it’s with Patrick Charbonneau with whom I deal. Then, Patrick will renew his coach. I can confirm that retaining Patrick’s services is part of our plan for the coming weeks and months. We all see here that Patrick has done a great job since we started. As I say, stability in Canada is very important, “said Jocelyn Thibault.

The questions remain in front of the net
Jocelyn Thibault was 16 when he defended the Draveurs de Trois-Rivières for the first time. The following year, he followed the Draveurs in their move to Sherbrooke where they became the Falcons. His brief visit to Les Faucons was so memorable that he joined the NHL the following year at the Nordiques in Quebec City. The start of a beautiful career of 16 years in front of the net of six formations of the circuit Bettman.

He who is also a goaltender coach at the Phoenix is ​​well placed to know that it is possible to be successful in the QMJHL at a young age as a goaltender. Yet, its organization relies on guardians of 20 years since the start of the young concession. Jacob Chouinard, Francis Desrosiers, and now Maxime Lagacé succeeded each other in front of the team’s net. Desrosiers and Lagacé will finish the season in front of the net, which will probably prevent the young Gabriel Parent from getting departures.

“We met Gabriel right after the end of the trading period. It was important for us to reiterate our confidence. Right now, we have to compete in the best division of the QMJHL and it puts our guards in vulnerable situations. Match after game, we try to diminish the chances of scoring but defensively, the fact remains that we are a team that gives a lot of chances to score. It’s hard for a young goalkeeper to develop into that, it’s doable but it’s not obvious. That’s why we went with Jacob last year, and we decided to do the same with Francis, “explains the guard teacher in Sherbrooke.

Obviously, this question related to the guards, Jocelyn Thibault heard a lot and it was felt during the interview that he wished to take stock of it. He comes back right away about the rookie Parent.
“I consider that Gabriel has a better season than his figures indicate. He was abandoned to himself on some evenings and it is not easy to deal with so many quality shots for a young goalkeeper. We simply do not want to burn it. We want him to calmly acclimate to the QMJHL. We are far from having tossed the towel in his case and we are building a lot of hope in him for the next few years. ”

It will be a question of whether it will be on the shoulders of Gabriel Parent that the Phoenix will try to aspire to the championship for the season 2015-2016, the initial objective of the team at the beginning of the concession. After so many years in the NHL, Jocelyn Thibault never had the opportunity to raise the Stanley Cup. It will be with his junior hockey team that he will try to win the championship.